Founded in 2019, MobilityData is a global non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing transportation through the development and management of data standards that ensure mobility information is reliable, accessible, and consistent worldwide. They are headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, and have team members located in 4 countries. They work closely with public agencies, private companies, and industry stakeholders around the world to promote open standard data to enhance the traveler experience.

MobilityData supports widely used specifications like the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) and the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS). They aim to bridge the gap between local expertise and global mobility needs, to help empower communities and foster connections to fuel innovation in transportation.

The GBFS Version 1 was developed, under NABSA’s leadership, by a team of bikeshare system owners and operators, application developers, and technology vendors and launched in 2015. In 2019, NABSA selected MobilityData to become the technical steward for the GBFS community, which involved improving the specification and its governance to meet evolving industry needs. In 2022, after a three-year partnership between the two organizations, NABSA transferred ownership of GBFS to MobilityData to best support the evolution of the specification moving forward.

GBFS enables micromobility operators to make their services visible in major trip planning apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Transit, Moovit, and Citymapper. By publishing high-quality data in the GBFS format, operators allow their bikeshare and scooter share services to be easily accessible to users, driving higher ridership through seamless discovery and trip planning.

MobilityData recently updated GBFS.org to make it easier for both new and experienced users to find the resources they need. They are also working on the future vehicle availability feature, which should be ready soon. This optional new endpoint allows systems with reservations to share when bikes, scooters, or cars will be available, helping users plan their trips with greater confidence. With the feature now in the Release Candidate stage, they are looking for First Adopters to help make it official. If you are interested, please contact them at hello@mobilitydata.org.

When asked about the value of NABSA membership, they said that being part of the NABSA community is valuable because it provides an opportunity to connect with key industry stakeholders who share their mission of enhancing public transit and shared mobility. “Through this network, we can collaborate to advocate for the use of GBFS (General Bikeshare Feed Specification) as a powerful tool to make shared mobility options more accessible, discoverable, and user-friendly. At MobilityData, we believe that working within the NABSA community helps us drive progress in creating sustainable transportation choices for all.”

If you are interested in learning more about MobilityData, visit mobilitydata.org.